Madeleine “Mado” Sévigny-Lanthier celebrated her 80th birthday at the World Aquatics Masters Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in August. The event brings the best swimmers of the world together to compete on the global stage, with almost 10,000 athletes from 100 countries.

To mark her eighth decade, Mado crushed two world championship records in Fukuoka, set two new Canadian records, and accepted the crown of World Champion four times.

Going for gold

Accompanied to Japan by her daughter Marie-Hélène Lanthier, Mado was not daunted by the scope of the international event. A room full of trophies and awards in her home in Labelle did not get there by her shying away from a challenge.

Mado tells us that she learned the hard way not to overthink competing. “Don’t look. Just swim,” she tells herself every time she hits the pool deck.

And “just swim” she did. First up was the 100-metre freestyle event. In just 1:27.82, Mado took home the gold in the women’s 80-84 age category, with a stunning gap of twenty-seconds over her closest competitor, setting a new championship world record.

Next was the 200-metre freestyle swim. With a superb performance, Mado again took home the gold in 3:19.73.

Competing in her favorite event, the 50-metre freestyle, Mado beat yet another world championship record and set a Canadian record, taking gold in just 37.03 seconds.

Demonstrating that her golden years are truly golden, Mado won a fourth gold medal, and set another Canadian record, swimming the 400-metre freestyle in just 7:10.02. Four for four. All gold.

A local legend

An active and revered member of the Club de Natation Mont-Tremblant (CNMT) Masters team since 2016, she’s been swimming from the age of three, competing in countless local, provincial, national and world championships.

The Mont-Tremblant Aquatic Complex has become her second home, and the members of the CNMT her extended family. The CNMT coaches and members of all ages encouraged her, trained with her, and motivated her to do her best in Japan. Richard Cyr, a chiropractor and fellow CNMT Masters team member, helped her optimize her fitness for the championship competition.

Support came from all corners, with Guillaume Parent, President of the Westin Tremblant, stepping in to help fund travel expenses to Japan.

Christian Camden, one of the coaches of the sixty-member-strong CNMT Masters team, worked with Mado one-on-one leading up to, and during, the Fukuoka competition. “I helped her fine-tune technique, and we worked on her tactical strategy for success. We established a plan – and she executed it flawlessly,” he shares.

A life well lived

A recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Seniors, Mado enthusiastically encourages everyone she meets to be active. Aside from swimming, she is an avid water and alpine skier, and took up tennis a few summers ago. Residents of Mont-Tremblant may have met her on the slopes, as she has been a dynamic volunteer member of the Tremblant Ski Patrol for 24 years.

Her children and grandchildren provide endless support, but her husband André Lanthier is her biggest cheerleader. “Mado has lived a life of inspiration to our family, reflected in two generations of champions in the water, and out of it,” he declares.

“You are never too old to swim, you are old when you quit swimming,” says Mado, smiling.

CNMT coach Loredana Horvat echoes Mado’s sentiments: “The water does not know how old you are. Come and swim with us an CNMT and let Mado inspire you as she does us.”

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